Nonrefillable bottle closure



Nov. 29, 1938. c. T. ALEXANDER NONREFILLABLE BOTTLE CLOSURE Fileq March 17, 1937 INVENTOR.

Patented Nov. 29, 1938 Z,i38, it6

UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE NONREFILLABLE BOTTLE CLOSURE Charles T. Alexander, Lynbrook, N. Y.

Application March 17, 1937, Serial No. 131,355 8 Claims. (01. 215-23) This invention relates to new and useful imin such manner that the valve is seated except provements in non-refillable bottle closures. in positions of the bottle when it is inclined The principal object of the invention is to downwardly nearly to the vertical. Preferably provide a simple, efiicient, durable, and ecothe casing is provided with a Wire mesh guard nomically manufactured mechanism which can to prevent insertion of instruments for holding 5 be easily connected to the neck of any type of the valve open and is covered by a dispensing bottle to prevent it from being re-filled in an cap provided with small dispensing openings and unauthorized manner. fixedly crimped to the neck of the bottle so that A further object is to provide a device which it is impossible to tamper with the valve casing 19 can be securely and conveniently attached to the or to alter or impair it in any way. A suitable 10 neck of any type of bottle without requiring a closing cap is provided over the dispensing cap change in the construction of the bottle itself. to cover the dispensing openings when the bottle A further object is to provide in such a device is not in use and to prevent leakage when the a valve mechanism which will remain closed in bottle is shipped or stored. substantially all positions of bottle inclination. The preferred present form which the inven- 15 Yet a further object is to provide a valve tlon may assume is shown in the drawing of mechanism controlled by a gravityeresponsive, which,

freely pivoted member for maintaining the valve Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device shown in closed position irrespective of the bottle inin dispensing position; 30 clination. Fig. 2 is a partial vertical section through the Further and more specific objects, features, device; and, and advantages will more clearly appear from a Fig. 3 is a partial enlarged detail section showconsideration of the specification hereinafter ing the relation between the valve and its gravwhen taken in connection with the accompanying ity-responsive seating device.

2!! drawing which illustrates a preferred form of In the drawing, the present preferred form the invention and which form a part of the which the invention may assume comprises a specification. bottle ID, shown as of rectangular cross section.

Generally and briefly considered, the invention The bottle has a neck I l provided preferably includes a bottle having a neck, preferably prowith crimping rings i2. Disposed at the mouth vided with crimping rings, to which a valve of the neck i I is a valve casing it having a 30 casing is connected, said casing having a dedependent neck portion i4 extending into and pending neck slidably fitting into the neck of the snugly fitting the neck of the bottle. The casing bottle. A looped member of resilient material is provided with an integrally formed bevelled is supported from said dependent neck and valve seat 15 on which a valve it is adapted to b c e o i s resiliency can e pushed into the be seated and guided by three legs l6. To this 35 narrow bottle neck. The valve casing has a valve valve I6 there is attached a connecting element seat therein and encloses a valve adapted to preferably in the form of a flexible chain I! bear against said seat. The valve is held against which at its other end is connected to a gravitythe seat in all positions of the bottle, except responsive weighted element such as the ball when the neck thereof is inclined downwardly to Hi. In particular the ball 58 may be provided 40 substantially the vertical by means of a gravitywith a slot E9 in which a pin 2% is disposed to responsive device disposed within the body of grip the end of the chain ll to permit adjust: the bottle and connected to the valve. This valve ment of the length of the chain between the ball seating element is preferably mounted freely and and the valve. Preferably the slot i3 is conloosely on the above mentioned looped spring nected to a cross slot 2% through wh ch the 45 support which is connected directly to the valve chain is threaded.

casing so that the whole device is capable of The ball is provided with a stem extension 22 being assembled as a unit separate from the with a much reduced portion 23 and an outer enbottle itself. The looped shape of the resilient larged head 24 preferably with a bevelled surface support helps to hold the device on the neck adjacent the surface of the supporting member 50 of the bottle as will be seen from the drawing. 25 which may take the form of a spring loop In the preferred form, the valve seating elehaving an aperture 26 at its lower portion ment takes the form of a weighted ball loosely through which the reduced portion 23 of the swivelled on the resilient support and connected stem 22 extends. The upper ends of the spring to to the valve by means of a flexible connection loop or supporting element 25 are connected to the dependent extension M of the casing IS in any suitable manner as by welding or soldering. It will be seen that the top portions of the spring loop are adapted to lie snugly against the adjacent surface of the inner bottle wall and thus helps to keep the device in position on the bottle neck. Also the resilience of the loop 25 permits it to be compressed while it is pushed into and through the bottle neck to assume its operative position the drawing shows.

The diameters of the aperture 26 and the reduced stem portion 23' are quite difierent so that the ball i8 is loosely swivelled in the spring loop support member 25 and thus the ball will always tend to assume a position out of axial alignment with the plane of the support 25 except when the bottle is in an inverted position. In all positions other than the inverted, it is obvious that the ball will cause a pull on the chain H which will keep the valve 16 seated. When the neck is well inclined downwardly the pull on the chain 'is reduced and the pressure of the contents of the bottle will unseat the valve and permit the flow of the liquid out of the bottle. The plane{ of disposition of the spring loop within the body of the bottle is preferably transverse to the greater dimension of the body so that the plane of movement of the ball in its operation will be parallel to the greater dimension of the bottle and thus the ball in its movement will not strike the sides of the bottle.

In order to protect the valve casing l3 and to prevent it from being accessible for unauthorized tampering with the contents of the bottle, I have provided a protective shell or cup-shaped casing H which is disposed over the valve casing 13 and at its lower end-is crimped or otherwise fixedly attached to the neck i I of the bottle so that the valve device is not only held firmly in place on the neck of the bottle but is also properly protected. The upper end of the protective casing 2? is closed except for oppositely disposed openings 23 one of which is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and either of which may be used for dispensing While the other acts as an air vent. The upper outer surface of the casing 21 is preferably provided with threads 29 to receive a closing cap 30 the fit of which on the casing 21 is such as to effectively close the openings 28 when the cap 30 is in place.

With the parts operatively assembled, it is only necessary to remove the cap 30 after which the bottle is tilted as shown in Fig. l in the plane of the greater dimension. As the neck H is given a downward inclination, the point is finally reached where the ball l8 depends from its stem head 24 and will start to swing back from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 2 whereupon the tension on the chain H is lessened and the valve is allowed to open. This movement of the ball starts only when the neck has assumed a predetermined downward inclination substantially near the vertical. The entire valve structure and related parts are assembled as one unit separate from the bottle and can be cooperatively associated therewith with ease and dispatch. The extension M can be quickly and snugly inserted into the bottle with the main portion of the valve casing resting on the top of the neck. The spring loopv 25 has been pushed through the neck and temporarily compresses as it passes through the neck but immediately springs back into the normal position shown in Fig. 2 wherein its upper curved edges bear against the adjacent wall of the bottle to help hold the device in position within and on the neck of the bottle. The protecting cap 21 is then slipped over the valve casing and crimped or swaged on to the neck H. A screen wire guard member 3| may be disposed in the valve casing over the valve I6 so as to prevent instruments from being slipped into the openings of the dispensing cup 2'! to hold the valve off its seat and permit unauthorized filling of the bottle.

While the invention has been described in detail and with respect to a present preferred form thereof, it is not to be limited to such details and forms since many changes and modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest aspects. Hence it is desired to cover any and all forms and modifications of the invention which may come within the language or scope of any one or more of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention and pointed out the features which are new, what I claim is:--

1. In combination, a bottle having a neck, a valve casing inserted into the neck of the bottle, a valve in said casing and adapted to open outwardly, a chain connected to said valve and extending into the bottle, a ball to which the chain is connected, a stem on said ball, a support to which said stem is pivotally related, said support connected to the valve casing, the ball in response to gravity exerting a pull on the chain to hold the valve closed except in certain downwardly inclined positions of the bottle neck.

2. In combination, a bottle having a neck, a valve casing inserted into the neck of the bottle, a valve in said casing and adapted to open outwardly, a chain connected to said valve and extending into the bottle, a ball to which the chain is connected, a stem on said ball, a support to which said stem is pivotally related, said support connected to the valve casing, the ball in response to gravity exerting a pull on the chain therein for dispensing and air venting.

3. In combination, a bottle having a neck, a valve casing inserted into the neck of the bottle, a valve in said casing and adapted to open outwardly, a chain connected to said valve and extending into the bottle, a ball to which the chain is connected, a stem on said ball, a spring loop support connected at its outer ends to the valve casing and having an aperture in its lower portion through which the ball stern loosely passes and providing a loose swivelled connection for the ball, the upper curved portions of the loop adapted to bearing against the wall of the bottle and help hold the device in position, the resiliency of the loop permitting it to be pushed through the neck of the bottle while in assembled condition.

4:. In combination. a bottle having a neck, a valve casing inserted into the neck of the bottle, a valve in said casing and adapted to open outwardly, a flexible element connected to said valve and extending into the bottle, a weighted element connected to said flexible element, a spring loop support disposed within the bottle and supporting the weighted element in a movable manner to provide a loose swivel support for said weighted said protective casing having opposed openings element, the upper curved portions of the loop adapted to bear against the wall of the bottle and help hold the loop in position, the resiliency of the loop permitting it to be pushed through the neck of the bottle while in assembled condition.

5. In combination, a bottle having a neck, a valve casing inserted into the neck of the bottle, a valve in said casing and adapted to open outwardly, a flexible element connected to said valve and extending into the bottle, a weighted element connected to said flexible element, a spring loop support connected at its outer ends to the valve casing, means on the spring loop support and connected to the weighted element whereby said element has pivotal movement thereon, the upper curved portions of the loop adapted to bear against the wall of the bottle and help hold the device in position, the resiliency of the loop permitting it to be pushed through the neck of the bottle While in assembled condition.

6. In combination, a bottle having a neck, a valve casing inserted into the neck of the bottle, a valve in said casing and adapted to open outwardly, a chain connected to said valve and extending into the bottle, a ball to which the chain is connected, a stern on said ball, a support to which said stem is pivotally related, said support connected to the valve casing, the ball in response to gravity exerting a pull on the chain to hold the valve closed except in predetermined downwardly inclined positions of the bottle neck, a protective casing fastened permanently to the neck of the bottle and covering the valve casing, said protective casing having opposed openings therein for dispensing and air venting and said casing having screw threads around the periphery thereof and a threaded screw cap engaging said protective casing and which when in placement therewith closes the respective openings to prevent dispensing and air venting.

7. In combination, a bottle having a neck, a valve casing inserted into the neck of the bottle, a valve in said casing and adapted to open outwardly, a flexible element connected to said valve and extending into the bottle, a weighted element connected to said flexible element, a spring loop support disposed within the bottle and supporting the weighted element in a movable manner to provide a loose swivel support for said weighted element, the upper curved portions of the loop adapted to bear against the wall of the bottle and help hold the loop in position, the resiliency of the loop permitting it to be pushed through the neck of the bottle while in assembled condition and a protective casing fastened permanently to the neck of the bottle and covering the valve casing, said protective casing having opposed openings therein for dispensing and air venting and said casing having screw threads around the periphery thereof and a threaded screw cap en gaging said protective casing and which when in placement therewith closes the respective openings to prevent dispensing and air venting.

8. In combination, a bottle having a neck, a valve casing inserted into the neck of the bottle, a valve in said casing and adapted to open outwardly, a flexible element connected to said valve and extending into the bottle, a weighted element connected to said flexible element, a spring loop support connected at its outer ends to the valve casing, means on the spring loop support and connected to the weighted element whereby said element has pivotal movement thereon, the upper curved portions of the loop adapted to bear against the wall of the bottle and help hold the device in position, the resiliency of the loop perinitting it to be pushed through the neck of the bottle while in assembled condition and a pro-- tective casing fastened permanently to the neck of the bottle and covering the valve casing, said protective casing having opposed openings therein for dispensing and air venting and said casing having screw threads around the periphery thereof and a threaded screw cap engaging said protective casing and which when in placement therewith closes the respective openings to prevent dispensing and air venting.

CHARLES T. ALEXANDER. 

